A method of performing prognostics on a hydraulic brake system of an aircraft may include determining, during primary braking mode and by a hydraulic brake controller, a first status of a first brake pressure sensor adjacent a brake assembly. The method may also include, in response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is valid, determining, during park braking mode and by the hydraulic brake controller, a second status of a second brake pressure sensor adjacent a park valve assembly. In response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is degraded, the method may include outputting, by the hydraulic brake controller, at least one of an inspection indicator and a maintenance indicator.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of performing prognostics on a hydraulic brake system of an aircraft, the method comprising: determining, during primary braking mode and by a hydraulic brake controller, a first status of a first brake pressure sensor adjacent a brake assembly; and in response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is valid, determining, during park braking mode and by the hydraulic brake controller, a second status of a second brake pressure sensor adjacent a park valve assembly.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is degraded, the method further comprises outputting, by the hydraulic brake controller, at least one of an inspection indicator and a maintenance indicator.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first brake pressure sensor is coupled to a first hydraulic line extending between a shuttle valve and the brake assembly.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second brake pressure sensor is upstream of the shuttle valve.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second brake pressure sensor is coupled to a second hydraulic line extending between the park valve assembly and the shuttle valve.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein in response to determining that the second status of the second brake pressure sensor is degraded, the method comprises determining, by the hydraulic brake controller, an extent-of-degradation condition of the second brake pressure sensor.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the extent-of-degradation condition is predictive of when the second brake pressure sensor will fail.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising determining, based on the extent-of-degradation condition and by the hydraulic brake controller, a timeline for at least one of inspecting and performing maintenance on the second brake pressure sensor.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining the extent-of-degradation condition comprises comparing a difference between a validated pressure from the first pressure sensor and a reported pressure from the second brake pressure sensor.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determining the extent-of-degradation condition comprises determining a rate of change of the difference between the validated pressure from the first pressure sensor and the reported pressure from the second brake pressure sensor.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first status of the first brake pressure sensor comprises comparing, by the hydraulic brake controller, a reported pressure from the first brake pressure sensor with an expected pressure.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the expected pressure is based on an electrical-current-to-pressure response of a servo valve.
13. A hydraulic brake system for an aircraft, the hydraulic brake system comprising: a primary user input interface; a primary valve assembly in electronic control communication with the primary user input interface via a hydraulic brake controller; a park user input interface; a park valve assembly in mechanical control communication with the park user input interface; a shuttle valve disposed in hydraulic communication between the primary valve assembly and the park valve assembly; a brake assembly coupled to landing gear of the aircraft and disposed downstream of and in hydraulic communication with the shuttle valve; a first brake pressure sensor coupled between the shuttle valve and the brake assembly; a second brake pressure sensor coupled between the park valve assembly and the shuttle valve; the hydraulic brake controller having a processor; and a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the hydraulic brake system to perform operations comprising: determining, by the processor and during primary braking mode, a first status of the first brake pressure sensor; and in response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is valid, determining, by the processor and during park braking mode, a second status of the second brake pressure sensor.
14. The hydraulic brake system of claim 13 , further comprising a displacement sensor operably coupled to the park user input interface.
15. The hydraulic brake system of claim 14 , wherein the tangible, non-transitory memory, in response to execution by the processor, is configured to cause the hydraulic brake system to perform operations comprising: determining, during the park braking mode and by the hydraulic brake controller, the second status of the second brake pressure sensor that is coupled to a second hydraulic line extending between the park valve assembly and the shuttle valve; and in response to determining that the second status of the second brake pressure sensor is valid, determining, during the park braking mode and by the hydraulic brake controller, the first status of the first brake pressure sensor that is coupled to a first hydraulic line extending between the shuttle valve and the brake assembly.
16. A method of performing prognostics on a hydraulic brake system of an aircraft, the method comprising: determining, during park braking mode and by a hydraulic brake controller, a second status of a second brake pressure sensor that is coupled to a second hydraulic line extending between a park valve assembly and a shuttle valve; and in response to determining that the second status of the second brake pressure sensor is valid, determining, during park braking mode and by the hydraulic brake controller, a first status of a first brake pressure sensor that is coupled to a first hydraulic line extending between the shuttle valve and a brake assembly.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the second status of the second brake pressure sensor comprises comparing, by the hydraulic brake controller, a reported pressure from the second brake pressure sensor with an expected pressure, wherein the expected pressure is based on a position-to-pressure response of a displacement sensor.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein in response to determining that the second status of the second brake pressure sensor is degraded, the method comprises outputting, by the hydraulic brake controller, at least one of an inspection indicator and a maintenance indicator.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein in response to determining that the first status of the first brake pressure sensor is degraded, the method comprises determining, by the hydraulic brake controller, an extent-of-degradation condition of the first brake pressure sensor.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the extent-of-degradation condition is predictive of when the first brake pressure sensor will fail.
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January 30, 2018
August 25, 2020
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